Make Good Art

Reblogged from dodging commas:

I was procrastinating yesterday and stumbled upon this gorgeous speech by Neil Gaiman. It is inspiring and says everything a young artist needs to hear ...Or an artist of any age and experience.

http://vimeo.com/42372767

May you make good art.

"When you start out on a career in the Arts, you have no idea what you're doing. This is great. People who know what they're doing know the rules, and they know what is possible and what is impossible. You do not. And you should not. The rules on what is possible and impossible in the Arts were made by people who had not tested the bounds of the possible by going beyond them. And you can. If you don't know it's impossible, it's easier to do. And because nobody's done it before, they haven't made up rules to stop anyone doing that particular thing again." - Neil Gaiman

Right Now, Write Now

There we were — a bunch of hopeful-hearted, amateur writers — discussing various things of little importance, when someone piped up: “When do you all write?”

“When I’m emotional,” one person quipped. “Whenever I’m at the peak of an emotion, I write better. Doesn’t matter whether I’m angry or ecstatic or in love again. I write best when I’m emotional.”

“Oh, no!” another disagreed. “I could never do that! When I write, I need to be able to focus on the words, and nothing but the words. If I’m too busy worrying over my own life, nothing will reach that page.”

“I like to write late at night,” somebody chimed in. “That’s when the juices really start flowing. I’ve stayed up until 4am, once, without even realising it. I was so caught up in what I was doing that time became meaningless.”

The conversation continued, discussing many things: what times of the day; what days of the week; whether there was background noise or silence; whether playing music was a help or a hindrance; and so on and so forth.

I meanwhile, had sat silently, pondering the question.

When all fell silent, I drawled, somewhat cynically:

“I write best when I should be doing something else.”

Long story short, I was rather pleased to find I’m not alone. Apparently, there are many of us who can only put pen to paper when that little voice begins to nag, “Aren’t there more important things you could be doing right now?”

…More important than writing? Impossible.

It’s not the most productive ways to get things done, with regards to “real life“, I’ll admit. But, hey, when you find yourself caught in a flurry of papers, pencils and punctuation, you take what you can get.

- Love The Bad Guy

Astronauts, Princesses, Lion-Tamers and Writers

Today, I am proud to announce that I featured as a Guest Blogger over at Dodging Commas, as part of a new series that explores the theme Inspired to Write. Its writer, Stef, explains:

Writers love talking about inspiration. We like to moan when we aren’t inspired and we like to boast when that sudden rush of inspiration has just jolted our minds into action. Inspiration can come from many sources – we can be inspired by places, images, words, actions, music, current events … and we can be inspired by people.

I have approached the writers behind some of my favourite blogs to contribute to Dodging Commas on the theme Inspired to Write. This is an opportunity to showcase a favourite author, express gratitude to a teacher, or dote upon a friend or family member. Above all, it is a celebration of the people who started us on our creative journeys, the people who keep us going, and the people who inspire us to follow our passion.

We seek inspiration for new ideas every day for our creative work, but right from the start there has been someone who has ensured we are Inspired to Write.

I was honoured that Stef asked me to appear as a Guest Blogger, and I hope I have done her justice. To read my post, head over to Dodging Commas right now! You can view the other “Inspired” posts , as well as many other grammar- and story-related posts. Go bask in the general awesomeness of Stef.

But for now, here’s a teasing snippet of my post:

“What do you want to be when you grow up?”

I am sure that, for most of you, this is a painfully familiar question. Your teachers, your friends, your family—everybody seems to have a strange curiosity when it comes to your future, don’t they?

The younger you are, the easier it is to answer such a question. An astronaut; a princess; a lion-tamer. Realism can be thrown out the window, as you are encouraged to reach for the stars. But as the years pass, there comes an expectation to seriously consider where you see your life heading.

My first ‘official’ declaration for my future was that I wanted to be a teacher. A noble enough career, certainly. I stuck with this ambition for all the years of primary school, until, at the age of eleven, I realised how trying it was to make children do what they are told.

Yes. I was a child when I realised that children are little bastards.

…Want to finish reading? Then head over to Dodging Commas now!

- Love The Bad Guy